Who Fired the Fourth Bullet? Unraveling the Mystery of Gandhi’s Assassination

Shadows of Birla House: Unanswered Questions in Gandhi’s Assassination

On January 30, 1948, at 5:17 p.m., three—or was it four?—gunshots echoed through the prayer ground at Birla House in New Delhi. The man who fired them, Nathuram Godse, was immediately seized by an American diplomat and handed over to stunned police. Godse confessed to the act in court, claiming sole responsibility and denying any broader conspiracy. But seventy-seven years later, persistent gaps in the investigation—from bullet counts to eyewitness silence—raise haunting questions. Was Godse truly alone? Why was there no rush to save a life that might have been salvageable? And who benefited from the swift closure of a case that reshaped India’s power structure? This article sifts through court records, declassified documents, and books to probe these anomalies, not to rewrite history, but to demand why they were buried.

The Chaos at Prayer Time: Eyewitnesses Who Vanished

Gandhi, leaning on his grandnieces Manu (Mridula) Gandhi and Abha (Chatterjee) as “walking sticks,” shuffled toward the dais for his evening multi-faith prayer. Godse stepped forward, hands folded in apparent namaste, and fired at point-blank range. Manu and Abha, inches away, caught Gandhi as he slumped, whispering “Hey Ram.” Chaos erupted: smoke thickened the air, the crowd froze in shock, and it took 3-4 minutes for anyone to react fully.

Manu and Abha’s Ordeal: These women were the closest eyewitnesses, yet neither was called as a prosecution witness in the 1948-49 Red Fort trial. Manu’s handwritten diary describes finding a bullet in Gandhi’s shawl during his final bath—implying a stray round not accounted for in police reports. Why were their testimonies sidelined? The prosecution relied on 149 witnesses, but omitted these two who could have clarified the shots’ sequence.Journalists’ Overlooked Accounts: Reporters present at the scene reported hearing four shots, not three. Their statements were never examined in court. One described a “fourth shot” amid the frenzy, but investigators dismissed it.The Crowd’s Paralysis: Eyewitness accounts note the “dazed and numb” silence until an American vice-consul lunged at Godse. His quick action disarmed Godse, but questions linger: Why no immediate police intervention, despite security at Birla House after a January 20 bomb attempt?

These omissions fuel speculation: Did the haste to pin blame on Godse overlook a fuller picture?

Bullets That Don’t Add Up: Three Shots or Four?

Godse’s Beretta M1934 pistol held seven rounds; police recovered three spent casings and two bullets from the scene, with a third allegedly found in Gandhi’s ashes. The trial hinged on a “three-bullet theory,” but contemporary reports paint a murkier scene.

Contemporary Reports: On January 31, 1948, accounts cited four shots. A photo showed four wounds on Gandhi’s body, and an exhibit board echoed eyewitness claims of four blasts. Some stuck to three, with one suggesting a fourth as Godse’s suicide attempt—unsupported elsewhere.Forensic Oversights: No postmortem was conducted, per family wishes, despite police requests. Only two bullets were forensically tested; the third’s examination was skipped. A diary notes a bullet in the shawl—untraced and unexplained. A researcher argued: “Police records suggest four bullets were recovered… Where did this fourth bullet come from?”The Watch Anomaly: Gandhi’s watch reportedly stopped at 5:17 p.m., possibly from a bullet impact—yet this was never probed. Efforts to re-examine bloodied shawls and photos were sought but not ordered.

If four bullets flew, whose was the extra one? The mismatch challenges the trial’s foundation.

A Life Not Rushed to Safety: The 40-Minute Wait

Gandhi, hit in the chest and abdomen, reportedly murmured for water—a sign he lingered, perhaps treatable. Birla House was mere blocks from Willingdon Hospital (now Ram Manohar Lohia), a 10-minute dash by car. Instead, he lay on the ground for 30-50 minutes before pronouncement.

No Medical Kit Ready: Attendants had a first-aid box, but it was empty of wound treatments. It took 10 minutes just to carry him indoors, with no doctor summoned immediately.Security Lapses Post-Bomb: After the January 20 attempt, police knew of threats, yet Birla House guards were lax. The trial judge lambasted: “The police miserably failed to prevent the assassination,” despite intel on conspirators.FIR Delays: Filed hours later by a witness, the FIR omitted key details like Manu and Abha’s roles. A 2015 order demanded its disclosure for public interest, but access remains limited.

Was the delay incompetence, or something calculated? A savable man died amid inaction.

Godse’s Shadowy Trail: Flights, Funds, and Freedom

Godse, a newspaper editor from Pune, arrived in Delhi via Air India on January 26, 1948—four days before the shooting. Post-independence flights were pricey, yet no probe traced his finances.

Unscrutinized Travel: Godse and Narayan Apte flew Bombay-Delhi twice in January under aliases, staying at a hotel. How did a mid-level activist afford it? A 1969 report noted “unlimited funds” for the plot but stopped short of deeper inquiry.Mountbatten’s Silence: As Governor-General, he oversaw the transition; he was briefed on threats but didn’t tighten security or arrest suspects post-January 20. Allegations point to British involvement, citing a 1948 cable on “wickedness.” His rushed partition fueled Hindu resentment—did his inaction enable the final act?Weapon Origins: Godse’s Beretta was procured via an associate, acquitted on technicalities. No full trace of its black-market path.

These loose ends suggest resources beyond Godse’s grasp—yet the probe closed ranks.

Whispers of Conspiracy: Foreign Hands and Hidden Motives

The 1949 trial convicted eight, executing Godse and Apte, but acquitted an associate for “lack of evidence.” Appeals denied Supreme Court access, as executions preceded the 1950 Constitution.

The Fourth Bullet Theory: A 2017 petition demands reinvestigation, citing docs hinting at “larger conspiracy.” It alleges a second assassin and foreign orchestration to stoke Indo-Pak enmity. The court reserved verdict but noted: “We won’t go by sentiments.”Group Links: Ties to certain organizations were probed superficially; a report flagged “lacunae” in conspiracy angles. A banned book echoes foreign hand claims.Power Shift: Gandhi’s death cemented unchallenged rule; his fasts had pressured payments to Pakistan, irking many. Who gained from silencing a voice against hegemony?

Videos interview a researcher, questioning: “Why ignore four wounds?”

There’s More to Gandhi’s Assassination Than We Know

Beyond the bullets and delays, a chilling possibility emerges: Godse fired three shots, yet Gandhi bore four wounds and bullets. Who fired the fourth? Why was no one rushed to carry him to a hospital just minutes away, where he might have survived? Was this another calculated move, perhaps by those who saw Gandhi’s role as a British proxy ending, now seeking to profit from his death’s publicity and political fallout? Some suggest his long association with British interests—negotiating with them, aiding their war efforts—made him expendable once independence was secured. His death handed power to a new elite, unopposed, while fueling narratives that served foreign agendas. Historical accounts hint at British unease with Gandhi’s post-partition stances, and a 1969 probe noted unexplained funding—could this point to a deeper plot? The lack of a postmortem, the ignored eyewitnesses, and the swift burial of evidence demand a hard look. Was this a lone act or a staged exit to reshape India’s destiny?

Echoes in Court and Commission: Calls for Truth

A 2015 order demanded release of FIR and chargesheet to address transparency’s void. Petitions since 2004 seek forensic revival—shawls, photos, watch. Books catalog lapses, drawing parallels in investigative flaws.

As a historian notes: “If evidence proves true, history becomes more complex.” The court sought foreign docs but hasn’t ruled.

A Case That Demands Reopening

Godse pulled the trigger, but the bullet count, eyewitness voids, medical delays, funding mysteries, and the fourth bullet linger like smoke from Birla House. A researcher insists: “Seventy years later, this should not be a controversy.” With declassified files trickling out and petitions pressing courts, one truth emerges: Closure came too soon. Reopening isn’t revisionism—it’s justice overdue. Who fired that fourth shot? The nation deserves answers, not echoes.

Notes and ReferencesCourt records from the 1948-49 Red Fort trial, Godse’s confession statement.The Men Who Killed Gandhi by Manohar Malgonkar (1978).Trial judgment, acquittal of Vinayak Savarkar, 1949.Video interview with researcher Pankaj Phadnis, 2020.Supreme Court petition by Pankaj Phadnis, 2017, seeking US Library of Congress documents.Eyewitness account from Sambeet Dash blog, “Last Moments of Gandhi and Godse,” 2017.Trial judge Atma Charan’s remarks, 1949.US Library of Congress declassified files referenced in Phadnis’s PIL, 2017.Prosecution witness list, Red Fort trial, 1948-49.Eyewitness accounts from Robert Trumbull and others, cited in various historical records.Absence of Manu and Abha as witnesses, noted in Phadnis’s petition, 2017.Security lapses post-January 20 bomb attempt, Kapur Commission Report, 1969.Louis Mountbatten’s role, historical analysis from declassified British archives.Impact of Mountbatten’s partition, historical studies.Godse’s travel details, Kapur Commission Report, 1969.Central Information Commission order, 2015, demanding FIR and chargesheet disclosure.Kapur Commission findings on funding and weapon procurement, 1969.Supreme Court proceedings on Phadnis’s PIL, 2018.Researcher Pankaj Phadnis’s arguments, cited in public domain petitions and interviews, 2017.Who Killed Gandhi? by D.F. Karaka (1963, later banned), and Kapur Commission references to conspiracy theories.Tracking the fourth bullet that has given new life to Mahatma Gandhi murder caseDisclose FIR and chargesheet of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination: CIC Gaps In Mahatma Gandhi’s Assassination Trial, Supreme Court Told Nathuram Godse pulled the trigger, but who really killed Mahatma Gandhi? Last moments of Gandhi and Godse Two assassins, four bullets and a foreign hand: What PIL seeking fresh probe into Mahatma Gandhi’s murder says